Carters Lake Fishing Report – September 2008

Carters: Level: 1.0 foot below full pool. Temp: 82 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: According to Buddy Callahan at Bart’s Bait & Tackle, the bass are beginning to move up and hit crankbaits. He recommended a deep-diving Bandit 700 in purple haze or a Norman’s DD22 in lavender shad. “Pay attention to the kind of place you catch your first fish based on the time of day,” said Buddy. “The pattern changes from morning to evening based on the major pump-back moves. The lake level is changing up to 2 feet per day.” Zack Foster looks for the spotted bass to begin congregating around the points. He’ll keep plenty of crankbaits and plastics on the deck this month. Fish will begin to relate to bait on these long points and can be caught in 6 to 25 feet of water. During the day, fish Trick Worms or finesse worms on shaky heads, and expect the bite in 15 to 20 feet of water. Zack said when darkness hits, the fish actually go back down into the water column. You’ll find them 15 to 20 feet deep on the points, and he likes the Deep Little N or a DD22 crankbaits. For more on Zack’s September patterns, turn to page 84.

Linesides: Fair, according to Buddy. “The best bite lately has been downlining over humps.” The fish are still concentrated on deep structure, but as the water cools, they will spread out. Umbrella rigs have been effective, said Buddy. “Pull a 3-oz. U-rig about 150 feet behind the boat over main-lake points and humps.”